Designing instruction for adult learners

Dr. Dean's work is a model to aid adult educators in the development of instructional activities for adult learners. The three-part model consists of gathering information, designing instruction, and evaluating the instructional plan. The data gathering phase emphasizes systematic reflection on the adult educator's knowledge and skills, the adult learners, the content to be learned, and the organizational context in which the learning takes place. In the designing instruction phase the development of instructional goals and objectives, learning activities, and learner assessment is explored. Evaluation is accomplished by systematically reviewing the instructional plan and how it was developed. The model encourages the participation of adult learners in the process. It is a flexible approach to planning instruction and can be employed in a wide variety of educational settings such as higher education, business and industry, adult basic and literacy education, community colleges, health education, social service agencies, and community education organizations.